1. Technical Field
This invention relates to vehicle article carriers, and more particularly to a one-piece, integrally formed end support for a vehicle article carrier.
2. Discussion
Vehicle article carriers are used in a wide-variety of applications to support luggage securely atop an outer body surface of a vehicle such as a roof or deck lid of the vehicle. Such end supports typically have an aerodynamic design and are secured directly to the outer body surface of a vehicle and include some means for supporting an elongated member such as a side rail above the outer body vehicle surface.
Previously developed end supports having complex aerodynamic designs have involved a two-piece construction. A first piece is formed through well-known molding techniques with apertures or bosses formed therewith adapted to engage or interlock with an independent second piece. The second piece is most typically in the form of a cover which provides the end support with a finished, solid looking appearance. Typically, the cover is secured to the first piece via a plurality of threaded fastening elements or bosses which lockably secure the second piece to the apertures or bosses of the first piece. While some one-piece supports are presently manufacturable, these supports are limited to simple shapes and designs. Such existing, simple design one-piece supports are presently available from the assignee of the present application.
While prior developed end supports have proven generally satisfactory in terms of strength and durability, it would nevertheless be more desirable from a manufacturing standpoint to be able to manufacture an aerodynamic, complexly shaped end support as a one-piece component. This would significantly reduce the manufacturing cost by reducing the tooling necessary to form two independent components. It would also reduce manufacturing costs by eliminating a manufacturing step, that step being the physical securing of the second piece to the first piece to form the finished end support. A one-piece end support would further be desirable from an aesthetic standpoint if same could be manufactured without the appearance of seams or other forms of connecting lines visible when viewing the exterior surfaces of the end support. Finally, a one-piece end support would provide even greater strength and resistance to torsional stresses imparted by a cross bar supported thereon, than most two-piece end supports.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a one-piece end support for a vehicle article carrier which is adapted to be readily secured to an outer body vehicle surface, and which is integrally formed as a single-piece component having no visible seams or other molding lines apparent when viewing its exterior surface.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method for forming a one-piece end support in which a plurality of molding tools are used in connection with a well-known gas-assisted injection molding process to form an end support having a single-piece construction which does not include any visible molding lines visible from the exterior surface of the end support.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a one-piece end support and a method of forming same which reduces the overall cost of the end support by reducing the number of manufacturing steps required to manufacture the end support in addition to reducing the molding tooling required to produce the end support.